Albert Luthuli
21 July 1967
Hundreds of people representing 26 choirs from the various districts of
KwaZulu-Natal gathered at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre in Durban
today, 21 July 2007, to commemorate 40 years since the death of Africa's first
Nobel Peace Prize winner, Inkosi Albert Luthuli.
Albert Mvumbi John Luthuli was born in 1898 in what is now called Zimbabwe.
In his life Luthuli became a teacher, preacher, chief of the Groutville
community and political leader. He was a man of peace. On 10 December 1961, he
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. On 21 July 1967, Luthuli
died near his home in Groutville under tragic circumstances.
The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government declared 2007 as the 'Year of
Luthuli'. As part of the commemorations, the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Choral Music
Eisteddfod was held today (21 July 2007). The Inkosi Albert Luthuli Choral
Music Eisteddfod seeks to utilize all forms of choral music making and
associated activities in order to promote the legacies of Inkosi Albert Luthuli
through focused song. Twenty six (26) choirs from the various districts of the
province came together to compete in the provincial finals.
Delivering the keynote address KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sibusiso Ndebele said
that choral music is one of the most important pillars of nation building and
community re-engineering. "Chief Albert Luthuli whose tragic death on 21 July
1967 we remember today was himself an active lover of choral music. For many
years he was Choirmaster at Adams College. Some of the music which is being
sung here today has been composed by our composers, specifically to commemorate
the life and works of Chief Albert Luthuli. History has been recorded through
song."
"Chief Albert Luthuli lived and died for peace, non-racialism, non-sexism
and a free and democratic South Africa. We inherit from Chief Albert Luthuli
these values and a sense of belonging to a home which cares for all."
"He became a traditional leader, farmer, political leader, lay preacher,
teacher of music and choir master as well as teacher unionist and
intellectual."
"Let us enjoy the music in honour of Chief Albert Luthuli as we remember his
focused and determined life. Most of what Luthuli lived and died for has been
achieved now in this country. It is up to us to preserve and treasure it,"
Premier Ndebele said.
The Premier said, "It is common cause that Inkosi Albert Luthuli sailed
through life as a political leader being the President-General of the African
National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until his death and as a traditional leader
being an elected Inkosi of the AmaKholwa people of Groutville, a position he
held from 1935 until he was deposed for by the apartheid regime for his active
organisational role in the struggle for liberation especially during the
Defiance Campaign in 1952."
"He was a lay preacher, having been influenced by the strong Christian
background of his upbringing. He was a farmer, businessman and teacher of music
and isiZulu."
"It is therefore befitting that as we remember and re-enact the script of
Inkosi Albert Luthuli's life, we hold a Choral Music Eisteddfod of this
magnitude. Inkosi Albert Luthuli was himself a choir conductor and a teacher
trade unionist," said Premier Ndebele.
The Premier said that Luthuli lived and led through the most tumultuous
times of the country when apartheid was at its most enthusiastic stage and yet
he stayed calm, collected and focused. "Luthuli lived through one of the most
troubled eras in South Africa's recorded history. Yet he never lost his
head."
"Forty is a magical number. Recorded biblical history tells us that the walk
from exile in Egypt to the Promised Land in Canaan took the Israelites 40
years. Jesus Christ spent 40 days without food and water in his most
illustrious demonstration of how to defeat the devil. And the same Jesus Christ
spent 40 days after resurrection, trying to coving followers that he had risen
from the dead, that he had conquered death and that death could be
conquered."
"Inkosi Albert Luthuli experienced and saw it all. He lived through and
defeated the most brutal period of the apartheid regime. He was
President-General of the ANC when the Freedom Charter was adopted on 26 June
1955. He presided over a period that saw the adoption and vigorous pursuance of
non-racialism by those seeking freedom, at the height of statutory racialism in
the 1950s. He presided over a period that saw the role of women being elevated
and strengthened by those seeking freedom in our society. He himself
crisscrossed the country, relentlessly preaching the gospel of the ANC, as the
Parliament of the People. He spoke not only to local African audiences but to
international and de-racialised audiences. He was available to address anyone
on the policies and practices of the struggle for liberation and did not try to
adjust these policies to suite the audience of the day," the Premier said.
"This was a man driven by humility, a man who sacrificed his personal
ambitions, in favour of the ambitions of the collective. He was much hated by
the apartheid regime. In the worst of times, in the two treason trials, he
stood for the policies and principles of a non-sexist, non -racial, democratic
society and saw trial and imprisonment as an opportunity to propagate the birth
of this new society."
"Luthuli was much in demand as a public speaker. He had fine tuned the
philosophical basis of the envisaged new society, into public prose and allowed
the liberation movement to be open to people from all walks of life:
intellectuals, trade unionists, communists, preachers, traders, teachers and
career politicians. He was able to simplify the prose or raise the bar as the
situation so demanded but never departing from the script.
"His continuous bans and trials led to the transmogrification of the village
of Groutville. In line with the tradition of African resolve, the people did
not abandon him. They walked, drove, flew and even crawled in the still of the
night, to Groutville, to concur and consult with their leader. The village was
a beehive of activity as international visitors including Robert Kennedy
insisted that they could not leave the country without talking to Luthuli,"
Premier Ndebele said.
"It is therefore propitious that as we commemorate 40 years since Albert
John Mvumbi Luthuli's death, we pause to think about his legacy of
non-racialism, non-sexism, good governance, equality across all races,
humility, peace and goal-orientation as well as putting the interests of others
above ours. It is a time for teachers, intellectuals, politicians, music
lovers, traditional leaders, farmers and the masses to say he taught us these
values and we are implementing them."
"Chief Albert Luthuli cherished choral and classical music. Remarking about
his love for choral music, in his book 'Let my people go', he said:
"With one other African teacher I was appointed to the staff at Adams. The
subjects in which I specialised were isiZulu and music. At the end of my time
at Adams, 13 years later, I had become Supervisor of teachers in training at
outlying schools. Throughout these years, one job, which I enjoyed immensely,
persisted I was college choirmaster."
"Two new songs which talk about the life and works of Inkosi Albert Luthuli,
have been composed and are being sung here today. The song "Indiva ka Mvumbi"
by composer Simon Ntombela outlines a story of determination. As we know, all
the time, once Luthuli had made up his mind about something he simply focused
on the task at hand. He never relented. Ntombela captures this through
song.
"The second song 'Zabalaza Madlanduna' by composer Professor Musa Xulu is a
historic epic which relates Inkosi Albert Luthuli's highlights in a melodic
format that can only be described as innovative and nostalgic, heritage because
it is through creativity and innovation that the heritage of choral music can
be revived and sustained. Choral music is living heritage," said Premier
Ndebele.
Contact:
Logan Maistry
Premier's Spokesperson
Cell: 083 644 4050
E-mail: maistryl@premier.kzntl.gov.za
Issued by: Office of the Premier, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
21 July 2007
